Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the matches of the seventh round of the World Cup qualification in Asia will take place on Thursday in Doha, where the Uzbekistan national team will host Kyrgyzstan. I suggest betting on the number of goals in this match with excellent chances of success.
Match preview
The "White Wolves" have long been established in the elite of Asian football, yet a World Cup ticket remains an elusive peak for them. In the Asian Cup, the Uzbeks showed character, reaching the quarter-finals, where they only lost in the penalty shootout to the future tournament winner, Qatar.
In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the team also demonstrates stability. In the second stage, Uzbekistan finished second, trailing Iran solely on goal difference. The third round started at a good pace – 13 points after six rounds allowed the "Wolves" to settle in second place. In the last match, the Uzbeks narrowly defeated North Korea away (1:0), continuing their fight for a historic World Cup berth.
The "White Falcons" rarely find themselves in the spotlight on the international stage, and their performance in the last Asian Cup only confirmed this – the team failed to overcome the group stage, losing to Oman, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia. However, in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Kyrgyzstan showed much brighter, taking second place in the second round, leaving behind Malaysia and Taiwan, and also challenging Oman.
The third stage of qualification became a serious test for the team. Competition increased, and the start was unsuccessful – five losses in six rounds dropped the "Falcons" to fifth in the table. The only victory came in a home match against North Korea (1:0) in October. In the last match, Kyrgyzstan lost at home to Iran with a score of 2:3. Currently, the team is four points behind Qatar, and the chances of competing for high places are becoming increasingly elusive.
Probable lineups
- Uzbekistan: Yusupov; Alidjanov, Alikulov, Ashurmatov, Eshmuradov, Nasrulloev; Khamrobekov, Shukurov, Masharipov; Urunov, Shomurodov
- Kyrgyzstan: Tokotaev, Mishchenko, Kichin, Kozubaev, Brausman, Zhyrgalbek Uulu, Shukurov, Zarypbekov, Abdurakhmanov, Kenyebaev, Koyo
Match facts and head-to-head
- In the first round, Uzbekistan defeated the opponent away with a score of 3:2
- The bet on "both teams to score" played out in 4 out of 5 matches
- The "Over 2.5 goals" bet option has played out in the last five matches of these teams
Prediction
Bookmakers have no doubt in Uzbekistan's victory and offer odds of 1.20 for the hosts to win. We suggest taking "Over 2.5 goals" in this match with odds of 1.65.
